Join us in February for an exhibition of “The Three Menschen” featuring the work of Ron Ehrlich, Mark Freedman, and Ben Weiss three painters of Jewish Ancestry. Opening receptions will be held from 5:00—9:00PM on February 18, and March 18, the first Gallery Night of the 2010 season!

After receiving his BFA from Connecticut College in 1976, artist Ron Ehrlich journeyed to Japan, where he spent several years living in a monastery in the Bizen province and studying the region’s famous ceramics. This experience had an immense influence on his artwork. Upon returning to the US, Ehrlich continued to study art, spending two years at the Kansas City Art Institute and two years at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence. Today, he creates beautiful abstract paintings that combine the dynamic American aesthetic with the eastern simplicity of Japanese Bizen pottery. He uses both traditional oil paint and a variety of mixed media that he then fuses into a glaze with the help of a blowtorch. Ehrlich embraces rich hues and a dense, heavy texture to create unforgettable paintings that have been exhibited all over the country and in several cities throughout Asia.

Mark Freedman grew up in the rust belt area of western New York before studying at both SUNY Buffalo and Rhode Island College. Referring to his artwork as a “visual diary” (RI Monthly, 2009), Freedman specializes in industrial landscapes and cityscapes of the areas he knows best: the areas surrounding New York City and Providence. Freedman’s palate of muted colors and simple composition conjure evocative imagery that is immediately relatable. He has exhibited work all over Rhode Island and has shown in Massachusetts as well.

The third artist exhibiting in our show will be Ben Weiss, who was born in Poland and then moved to the Jewish Orphanage of Rhode Island (now Miriam Hospital) when he was merely five years old. From there, Weiss received a scholarship to study at RISD and later continued his education in Paris, where he painted many scenes of the post-war city. Weiss later went back to teach at RISD and has since become an important figure in Providence’s sphere of art and art education. Today, Weiss works in a variety of mediums and styles, utilizing painting, drawing, and watercolor and creating still life, figure, and landscape.  His work is united by its vibrant color and sense of movement.

This show will run from February 7 – April 3, 2010.